The Keystone XL pipeline will not use American steel despite President Trump's promises

Despite earlier promises that President Donald Trump would use American steel to build the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline, a White House spokesperson said it would "be too hard" to do so because constructed has already begun and the materials have been acquired, the Associated Press reported.

Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that the presidential directive Trump spoke of during his first address to a joint session of Congress referred to new pipelines or those under repair.

The Keystone XL pipeline will not use American steel despite President Trump's promises

WATCH | President Trump talks about plans for the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline

In his Tuesday address, Trump said, "We have cleared the way for the construction of the Keystone and Dakota Access Pipelines -- thereby creating tens of thousands of jobs -- and I've issued a new directive that new American pipelines be made with American steel."

And, as recently as last week, Trump also said that the Keystone and the Dakota Access pipeline must use American steel "or we're not building one."

The clarification regarding the pipeline's construction comes a few days after the Mexican company Cemex said it would "gladly" provide the raw materials for Trump's wall along the US-Mexico border.